Drilling a hole into a solid surface countertop?

[lovemachine]

I’m planning on installing a water filter system underneath my sink. And I have a solid surface countertop, with the integrated sink. The filter system comes with its own faucet. And it looks like it requires a 1/2” hole.

So how hard is a solid surface countertop? Will a regular drill bit suffice? Or should I use a carbide tipped drill? I don’t want to chip or crack the countertop.

I have drilled holes into laminate countertops before, but never a solid surface.

 

[patience0830]

Not that hard. Masking tape over the hole location. Forstner bit would be my choice.

 

[chenowethpm]

Depends on what it’s made of. If it’s granite then you need a diamond bit.

 

[1775usmarine]

If you have any 45acp laying around I heard it will go through anything.

 

[nra4ever]

Sounds like you will be drilling near an edge. Be careful with pressure to not cause a crack.

 

[EPeter213]

Assuming you have Corian or similar solid-surface I'll second the Forestner bit suggestion. That or a plunge-router.

 

[Vigilant]

If you have any 45acp laying around I heard it will go through anything.

But unless it expands reliably, it’s just not quite there yet.

 

[lovemachine]

Not that hard. Masking tape over the hole location. Forstner bit would be my choice.

What’s the purpose of using masking tape? And how about a hole saw?

 

[tmschuller]

Keeps the chipping to a minimum but the sold surface shouldn’t do that. Make sure the bit sharp. Does the faucet have a escutcheon?

 

[chezuki]

What’s the purpose of using masking tape? And how about a hole saw?

Forstner bit will be a cleaner cut than a hole saw, especially for that small of a hole.

 

[jkaetz]

What’s the purpose of using masking tape? And how about a hole saw?

If it were me I'd be using something like this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Bosch-1-2-in-Diamond-Arbored-Hole-Saw/1000448891 Shouldn't need a lot of pressure but be careful when it breaks through that you don't let the drill smack the counter top.

We replaced a stainless steel sink with a composit granite/quartz one and after being told "All you need is a hole saw" by the salesperson I tried a regular hole saw and it didn't go well. The hole saw had no teeth after making only about 1/8" into the sink.

 

[Usmccookie]

.

 

[woowoo2]

Personally,
I would run the filtered water to the cold side of the existing faucet and call it a day.

But, that's just me.

Edit:
If the water pressure was not reduced by the filter.

 

[Tactically Fat]

What KIND of solid surface you have will determine what kind of bit you need/want. I personally would also want some kind of drill press (like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milescr...VDDBpCh2IFwplEAQYByABEgJgzfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) to help ensure verticality and much finer depth control.

Acrylic counter tops are a whole other beast as compared to quartz.

 

[JettaKnight]

If it were me I'd be using something like this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Bosch-1-2-in-Diamond-Arbored-Hole-Saw/1000448891 Shouldn't need a lot of pressure but be careful when it breaks through that you don't let the drill smack the counter top.

We replaced a stainless steel sink with a composite granite/quartz one and after being told "All you need is a hole saw" by the salesperson I tried a regular hole saw and it didn't go well. The hole saw had no teeth after making only about 1/8" into the sink.

Yup. Acrylic is a lot gentler than rock. And rock will f*** up a metal cutting tool.


Next time you go to store:
[video=youtube;IEhHEOIYgMY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEhHEOIYgMY[/video]

 

[jamil]

Personally,
I would run the filtered water to the cold side of the existing faucet and call it a day.

But, that's just me.

Edit:
If the water pressure was not reduced by the filter.

If it's R/O, that's not practical. An under-sink unit takes about an hour to fill a 5 gallon tank, and the water pressure isn't very high either. The bladder in the tank creates the pressure, so it ain't all that much. But even if you had a huge capacity tank with sufficient pressure, you'd waste a **** ton of water. With a typical under-sink R/O setup, for every gallon of purified water you get out of the tap, about 3 gallons go to waste.

 

[gregkl]

We are assuming by solid surface you are talking about some type of acrylic like Corian, LG, etc and not stone. Though stone is "solid" it is not referred to as solid surface in the industry.

I would use a high quality hole saw and start slow. Masking tape is always good to use whether it is needed or not. It just might prevent some surface chipping or if there is an initial slip of the bit, you may prevent marring the actual surface.

You can keep the bit cooler by building a dam around the area with plumber's putty and adding some water. Or just periodically stop drilling and vacuum up the dust.

 

[jkaetz]

Yup. Acrylic is a lot gentler than rock. And rock will f*** up a metal cutting tool.


Next time you go to store:
[video=youtube;IEhHEOIYgMY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEhHEOIYgMY[/video]

Yes, I should know this by now but every so often they still get me and I wonder why I listened...

 

[patience0830]

We are assuming by solid surface you are talking about some type of acrylic like Corian, LG, etc and not stone. Though stone is "solid" it is not referred to as solid surface in the industry.

I would use a high quality hole saw and start slow. Masking tape is always good to use whether it is needed or not. It just might prevent some surface chipping or if there is an initial slip of the bit, you may prevent marring the actual surface.

You can keep the bit cooler by building a dam around the area with plumber's putty and adding some water. Or just periodically stop drilling and vacuum up the dust.

This. I apparently was not explicit enough. My old man used to tell me to not assume he was stupid when I was 'splainin something. Too much info that he didn't need. 'Round here you get abused if you leave out one jot or tittle.

 

[jamil]

I used the term "jot or tittle" in a meeting at work once. They thought I was being vulgar or something. I had to make them look it up.